Pen Sovann
Pen Sovann was a Cambodian politician and revolutionary who served as the Prime Minister of the Hanoi-backed People's Republic of Cambodia from 27 June 1979 to 5 December 1981. He also served as General Secretary of the Kampuchean People's Revolutionary Party from 1979 to 1981. He was arrested and removed from office in December 1981 by the Vietnamese for irritating Lê Đức Thọ, the chief adviser to the PRK government. He was imprisoned in Vietnam until January 1992.
Sovann founded the Cambodian National Sustaining Party, which contested in the 1998 election but did not win a seat in parliament. He later joined the Human Rights Party founded in 2007 and served as its vice president. In 2012, he became a member of the newly founded Cambodia National Rescue Party and stood as an MP candidate for Kampong Speu. He was elected and was sworn in on 5 August 2014, serving until his death in October 2016.
Biography
Pen Sovann was born in Chan Teab Village, Samraong Commune, Tram Kak District, Takéo province. He first joined the Khmer Issarak at the age of 13 in 1950 and fought against the French. Two years later, Sovann joined the Indochinese Communist Party where he first met Ta Mok. Sovann supported the Khmer Rouge during the 1970-1973 civil war against the Khmer Republic and he worked along with Chan Sy under Khieu Thirith, in charge of the Voice of the National United Front of Kampuchea. From 1973 to 1979, Sovann lived in exile in Hanoi.Sovann was a founding leader of Kampuchean United Front for National Salvation on 25 November 1978. He served as Secretary-General of the Kampuchean People's Revolutionary Party from 5 January 1979 to 1 December 1981, when he was replaced by Heng Samrin following his removal from office by the Vietnamese.
Sovann was arrested on 2 December 1981 for irritating Lê Đức Thọ, chief Vietnamese advisor to the Kampuchean United Front for National Salvation and the People's Republic of Kampuchea. He was released from Vietnam's prison on 25 January 1992, after he served over 10 years. Sovann explained his long ordeal in prison: "When I wanted to create our own army of five regiments, the Vietnamese didn't agree and Lê Đức Thọ went to the USSR to complain."
After being released, Sovann returned to Kampong Speu province where he spent years living as a farmer with his family, before re-entering politics and forming the Cambodian National Sustaining Party in January 1998. The CNSP participated in the 1998 general election but never won a seat. In 2007, he served as vice-president of Kem Sokha's Human Rights Party but lost during the 2008 election. Subsequently the HRP merged with the Sam Rainsy Party to form the Cambodian National Rescue Party in 2012. In 2013, Sovann became the CNRP's candicate for member of parliament for Kampong Speu province. He was elected and was sworn in on 5 August 2014.
Sovann died in Doun Kaev, Takéo Province on 29 October 2016. He was cremated in Phnom Penh on 6 November 2016. On 10 November, Suon Rida was appointed to fill Sovann's vacant CNRP seat in Kampong Speu.